Right-Wing Authoritarianism

 

1.  Authoritarian submission -- a high degree of submission to the authorities who are perceived to be established and legitimate in the society in which one lives.

2.  Authoritarian aggression -- a general aggressiveness, directed against various persons, that is perceived to be sanctioned by established authorities.

3.  Conventionalism -- a high degree of adherence to the social conventions that are perceived to be endorsed by society and its established authorities.

 

RWA Scale – Sample Items

[ Bob Altemeyer ]

 

1.  Life imprisonment is justified for certain crimes.

4.  It is important to protect the rights of radicals and deviants in all ways.

6.  Gays and lesbians are just as healthy and moral as anybody else.

9.  The real keys to the “good life” are obedience, discipline, and sticking to the straight and narrow.

14.  There is no “ONE right way” to live life;  everybody has to create their own way.

15.  Our country will be destroyed someday if we do not smash the perversions eating away at our moral fiber and traditional beliefs.

21.  What our country really needs is a strong, determined leader who will crush evil, and take us back to our true path.

25.  There is nothing wrong with premarital sexual intercourse.

30.  Obedience and respect for authority are the most important virtues children should learn.

31.  Nobody should “stick to the straight and narrow.”  Instead, people should break loose and try out lots of different ideas and experiences.

34.  The facts on crime, sexual immorality, and the recent public disorders all show we have to crack down harder on deviant groups and trouble-makers if we are going to save our moral standards and preserve law and order.

 

 

RWA Correlations

 

Scales of ethnocentrism                                               .40   - .50

Homeless are “lazy” not “unlucky”                              .40 - .55

Christian orthodoxy scale                                             .40 - .60

Traditional gender roles                                                .60 - .80

Sex: percent virgins               high RWA                       60% - 70%

                                                low  RWA                        30% - 40%

Scales of attitudes toward homosexuals                     .60   - .70

Self-reported sexual aggression                                  .35

Right to life                                                                     .40

 

Acceptance of gov’t violation of rights                        .50 - .60

Agreement with attack on bill of rights                         .40 - .50

Indifference to human rights violations                       .60 - .70

“Posse against radicals” scale                                     .40 - .50

Support “Rambo-like crusade” against drugs             .37

Length of sentences for criminals                                .40 -.50

  [ but gave lighter sentences to policeman

        who beat protestor;  officer who massacred

        Vietnamese]

Belief in  Nixon’s innocence                                          .50

 

Conservative political parties

     (including Communists in Russia)                           .20 - .40

        [increases among those with greater “interest” in politics]

Canadian provincial legislators -- right vs. left             .87

California legislators -- conservative vs. liberal            .54

Opposition to environmental movement                         .54

 

Factors influencing RWA

 

·       Family background characteristics predictive of high RWA:

        Strong conventional religious orientation

        Use of physical punishment

        Limited personal experience with people unlike one’s self

 

·       Education lowers RWA scores

        -- especially among initially high-scorers

·       Parenthood raises RWA scores somewhat

·       80s were a period of higher RWA scores

·     Social crises raise RWA